Fastening device for stirrup-leathers of saddles.



S. A. GIBSON.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR STIRRUP LEATHERS 0F SADDLES.

APPLICATION FILiD FEB. 8. 1916- Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

abbozumg UNITED srnrns STEPHEN A. GIBSON, OF HEREFORD, ARIZONA.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR STIRRUP-LEATHERS 0F SADDLES.

Application filed February 8, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. GIBSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at- Hereford, in the county of Cochise and State of rlrizona,have invented new and useful Improvements in Fastening Devices forStirrup-Leathers of Saddles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fastening devices for thestirrup leathers of saddles.

At the present time, the stirrup leathers of saddles, particularly thesaddles used throughout the West, are held in adjusted position by meansof laces. And in order to adjust the stirrups, it is necessary to removethese laces to shorten or lengthen, as the case may be, the stirrupleathers, and then draw the laces through the openings again, thuscausing considerable loss of time, incident to the untying of the tieknots in the laces and the rethreading and retying of the laces.Furthermore, these laces rub against the sides of the horse and rot outas a result of the sweating of the horse, thereby necessitating thereplacing of the laces. Again, the knots in the laces often slip andbecome loose, thereby permitting the stirrups to drop down so that onestirrup is lower than the other with the result that the rider iscompelled to dismount and readjust the leathers, and it not unfrequentlyhappens that the laces are pulled out under the weight of the rider andthe stirrups become detached from the leathers, thereby throwing therider from the Horse.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide afastening device for stirrup leathers whereby the leathers may be heldin adjusted position without the necessity of lacing and which will beunaffected by the sweating of the animal and hold the stirrup in properposition at all times, thereby lessening the possibility of accidentsdue to the stirrup becoming detached from the leather.

It is also my purpose to provide a device of the class described whichmay be readily and quickly applied to the stirrup leather and removedtherefrom and which will be securely and effectively fastened to theleather so as to prevent accidental detachment of the fastening devicefrom the leather.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Serial No. 77,010.

combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth in andfalling Within the scope of the claim.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing thestirrup leather equipped with my improved fastening devices. Fig. 2 is afragmentary sectional view through the leather and fastening devicestherein. Fig. 3 is an enlarged collective view showing the parts of oneof the fasteners separated.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, 1 designates a portion of astirrup leather, while 2 indicates a stirrup mounted in the stirrupleather. necting the plies of the stirrup leather is by means of a lace,and this lace is threaded through openings formed in the plies of thestirrup leather and is designed to hold a stirrup in adjusted position,This method of fastening the plies of the stirrup leather is open to theobjections hereinbefore set forth and is decidedly objectionable.

In accordance with my present invention, I eliminate the lace and employfastening devices 4 as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. These fasteningdevices are identical in construction and each embodies a head 5 havinga shank 6 secured to one side thereof at the center of the head andthreaded eXteriorly, and a disk 7 having a sleeve 8 secured to one sidethereof at the center and threaded in: teriorly. The shank 6 and thesleeve 8 are of substantially the same length and when the shank isthreaded into the sleeve the head 5 and the disk 7 are spaced apart adistance equal to the thickness of the plies of the stirrup leather.Formed on the disk 7 at diametrically opposite points and projecting inthe same direction as the shank are prongs 10 adapted to bite into theinner ply of the stirrup leather when the fastening device is appliedthereto. In this embodiment of my invention, I have shown the head 5 asformed with a transverse slot 11.

In practice, the plies of the stirrup leather are adjusted to bring thestirrup to the desired elevation and the sleeves 8 on the disks 7 arepassed through the respective alining openings in the plies, the disks 7being arranged upon the inner side of the plies. The shanks 6 carried bythe heads 5 are now threaded onto the respective sleeves 8 and pass intothe alining openings and the plies of the leather are clamped betweenthe inner The usual manner of eonsurfacesof the disks and the heads,thereby drawing the prongs 10 into the inner ply of the leather. A cord12 may now be laced through the slots 11, if desired, so as to preventaccidental disconnection of the heads from the disks.

It will be seen that I have provided a fastening device whereby theplies of stirrup leathers may be securely and effectively fastenedtogether to hold the stirrup in adjusted position, thereby eliminatingthe necessity of employing laces to fasten the plies of the stirrupleather. The disks 7 on the inner. ends of the respective fasteningdevices are arranged adjacent to the sides of the animal and as thesedisks are formed of metal or other suitable material, the fasteningdevices are unaffected by the moisture exuding from the sides of thehorse. The cords 12 may or may not be employed, this being optional withthe rider.

While I have herein shown and described the preferred form of myinvention by way of illustration, I wish it to be understood that I donot limit or confine myself to the precise details of constructionherein described and delineated, as modification and variation may bemade within the scope of through the straps upon the opposite side andengaged with said shank, a head upon the shank provided with prongs forengagement with one of the straps, a head formed upon the sleeve andprovided with an opening and a single removable flexible element ii forinsertion through all of the said openings, whereby all of the membersof the said fastening devices are prevented from turning.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN A. GIBSON.

Witnesses:

PHILIP J. WETZEL, RoB'r. REAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

